Plug for gas-wells.



w. F. BURGESS. PLUG FOR GAS WELLS. APPLICATION FILED APR. 10,1908.

Patented oen. 2o, 19081 W/TNESSES p lug as shown in Fig. 1.

view illustrating the position o the movable WALTER F. BURGESS, OF ATWOOD, WEST VIRGINIA.

' PLUG Foal eMi-vmLLl.v

To-all whom 'it may'con'cem:

' Be it known that I, WALTER F. BUBGESS, a

citizen of the United States, and residing at Atwood, in the county of Tyler and State of West, Virginia, have invented an Improvemen-t in Plugs for-Gas-Wells, of which the following is a specification. i My inventionl is anyimproved means for plugging gas wells, more particularly those whose yield of gas has ceased wholl or for the most part, and havebeen aban oned in consequence.

The invention includes s. hollow ta ered lbody portion, devices which are sli able thereon and adapted for wedging and locking th'ebody in the well, and an elastic eX- pansible sleeve or c linder, and a tapered plug which is slidable in the body and thus adaptedl for expanding the sleeve.v

The invention also includes other features of construction and combination of parts as will be hereinafter described.

In thel accompan ing drawing s Fi ure 1` is an exterior view o the entire p ug,'t

e mOV- able parts being shown in the normal osition. Fig. 2 is a lon itudinal sectiono the Fi 3 is a side parts when the plug has been inserted in a well and locked and expanded therein. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section showing the plug as it appears in Fig. 3, save that the rod which is normally connected with the expanding device has been withdrawn. Fi 5 a side view of the lower portion of suc 1 and 1a indicate the two ends of the body of the plug,n whose Shanks are tapered toward each other and connected by central sleeve coupling 2. These parts constitute the body of the plug. A soft-rubber' sleeve or cylinder 3 is applied to the reduced lower end of the body portion 1- and forms practically a, continuation of the same. It can be eX- panded as shown in Fi s. 3 and 4, by means of a tapered plug 5 which is connected b a breakable joint 5a' with a rod 6 which is s idable in the body portion 1, l", 2, and connected at its upper end with ahead 8 which in ractice is suitably connected with the bai er (not shown). As a means for wedgino and locking the body of the plug in the we l, I vemploy devices which will now be described. One of such devices is applied to the upper tapered portion 1 of the body and the other to the corresponding lower tapered spammen of Lamm rmt. Application nica Aprii 1o, 190s.l sermnq. 426,339.

Patented Oct. 20 1903.

portion 1a. Each of said devices is formed of wedges 9, havin spring Shanks 10 by which they are connecte with a ring 11. The said ring encircles the cylindrical Ishank of each of the body parts 1 and 1a, and the wedges V9 are curved 1n cross section and ta ered outward corresponding to the cylin rical and tapered form of the Shanks of the said parts 1, 1a. i i

Between the couplin 2 and the ring 11 of the upper wed ing an locking;` deviceis arran ed a spira spring 12, which is normally hel compressed by mea'ns of a breakable wooden, or other, cross-pin 13. Said pin (as shown in Fig. 2) passes through the tapered part of the shank la -a'nd also through .a slot 6 in the rod 6 (see Figs. 2, 5),' and its ends project over the top edgef'of the ring 11. It is apparent that if this pin be broken, the expansion of the spring 12 will automatically force the wedging and locking device upward as shown in Figs. 3 andfl, and thereby Alock the entire plug against downward movement so that 1t cannot go down the well when the water is let in. The crosspin 13 is broken by upward traction applied to the rod 6.y It is further apparent that if the similarly locked against upward movement in the well.

'In practical use of myV invention, the plug with its movable parts in the position indicated in Fi s. 1 and 2, is lowered into the well to the cglesired depth, and then, pulling up 4on the rod 6 by -means of the bailer, the lower wedging and lookin devices will slide downward by reason of Vfriction with the surrounding part' and thus be forced outward on the 'lower tapered body 1a (as shown in Figs. 3 andv 4), and this obviously locks the Aplug against upward movement. Then the bailer connection 'slips past a set-screw 1 4 (see Fig. ll), and the hollow slidable plug 5 at. the lower end of part 1'L is drawn upward and expands the rubber sleeve 3 so that 1t closes tightly against the surrounding part, as indicated in Figs. 34 and 4. This effectually closes the well against the escape of gas, and the pressure of the latter forces the expanding plug 5 still further upward, thus tightening the plug more effectually. The pull by means of the bailer, being then continued, or rather the bailer being 'jarred pp the breakable pin which orms the Joint 5ll between the expanding plug and the rod 6 i's broken or cut off, and the rod 6 sliding further. upward, breaks the cross-pin 13 so that the upper wedging and looking' device is released and instantly l-fcied -upward by the spring l2 into the locking position in Figs. 3, 4. Thus, if the gas pressure below the plug exceeds the water pressure above it, or the water pressure exceeds the gaspressure, the plug holds equally well in either direction. In practice, the next step consists in running thin cement downlv the hole 'so las to fill up the passage in the bodyl of the plug, or in the parts l and la, and all space around outside of body of plug. Af'

ter suchcement has had time to set, the well casing lis ypulled and the water'let in, which completes the entire operation.

What I claim is:

1. lThe im roved gas-well plug comprising a hollow bo yhaving tapered portions, slidable weiiging and lockmg devices applied to such tapered portions, a spring act-ing ainst one 'of said` devices for forcing it a ong the adjacent tapered (portion, a breakable pm 4traversing, the bo y of one of the tapered vportions and serving to hold one of the' lockmgvdevices in retracted position, a rubber sleeve applied tothe lower portion of the body, an eX anding plug operatively connected with sald sleeve, and a rod having a breakable-jont connectionmitl such eX- panding plug and adapted to slide in the movable on the body of the gas-plug for pre venting upward or downward movement of -the same in the well, substantially as described.

3. In a gas-well plug, the combination with the tapered body of the same, of a locking device comprising a wedge and a part securing the wedge slidably on the tapered portion, a spring. tending to force the lock- "nv device outward, a breakable cross-piu against the tension of said spring, and a v slotted rod which is slidablein the body'of the plug and having a shoulder adapted to engage the breakable pin, whereby, when traction is applied to the rod, the pin may .be broken and the lockingy device released in the manner described.

WALTER'I F. BURGESS.

Witnesses:

M. C. BUCHER, J1'. J. M. ANDERSON.

1 holding the device in retracted position 

